Favourite Place in the World
by panic-at-the-bistro
Summary: One-shot. Total Jeller fluff. Jane and Kurt have moved back into Kurt's old house in Clearfield, PA to raise their kids. The woods and creek behind the house are as beautiful as ever. But when Kurt is hurting, how will Jane help him?


**A/N:** First fic but be hella brutal with your criticism. If I don't know it's broke I can't fix it! Please leave a review and share your thoughts. Thanks!

Shout out to Barbara, Sofia, Paula, and Marian for actually convincing me to start writing this.

* * *

The sound of their children's laughter came floating back through the trees, breaking the tranquillity of the little forest behind Kurt and Jane Weller's house in a way that was entirely pleasant. Specks of orange were just barely visible on the leaves of the young oaks, and the first chill of the coming season was in the air. The ground crunched ever so slightly with every step as the parents let the sounds of their children's mischief guide them through the woods. Every so often the little girl, now too far ahead to be visible through the foliage, would giggle at some private joke and the boy would follow suit not long after. The children ran further and further away into the forest, too focused on their games to care where they were going, or how fast.

"Hey, slow down, you two!" called Kurt, his tone more than a little overbearing.

"Awww, Daaaad," the boy whined back through the trees.

Kurt was about to open his mouth to reply but stopped when he felt Jane's hand press softly into the small of his back.

"Kurt," she spoke gently, "Let them go."

He stopped walking then, staring after the sounds of their mirth with a pained expression. She was right, he knew. The neighbourhood was safe, and they knew everyone that lived within a mile of their house. Their children knew the woods around the creek better than Jane and Kurt had when they had lived here more than twenty-five years ago. They had their own secret places, their own roughly worn tracks through the scrub. And they were good kids. Sensible. They took care of each other. But still, every time they left his sight, Kurt Weller had to wrestle a pang of panic.

"Hey," she began softly, looking up into his eyes as she started rubbing small circles on his back.

"Yeah, I know," he conceded. He hadn't met her gaze yet, still staring worriedly in the direction that their children had run off in. His whole body was tense as he strained to listen, ready to run to their aid at the slightest sign of danger. Noting the intensity of his gaze and the lines of worry creasing his face, Jane kept her right hand on his back as she laid the other softly on his chest. His breaths were shallow and erratic, and under her hand she could feel his heart beating rapidly.

As they stood there together, she gradually felt the tension in him subside. Turning his eyes to hers finally, he wrapped his arms around her, holding onto her tightly and taking several deep, tremulous breaths.

She held on just as tightly, turning her head to let it rest on his chest, listening to his wildly beating heart. She knew how hard it could be for him sometimes; that he'd never really gotten over the twenty-five years that she'd been missing. These days most of his anxiety was focused on their two young children. In truth, it had improved markedly now that they were both in school, but there were still bad days. This might have been one of them. Kurt knew that he could never truly hold the kids back, and the logical side of him never wanted to, but some other part of him just refused to let go. That had to be awful, she thought. For him to want everything for them at the same time as another part of him wanted nothing more than to never let them out of his sight, for fear of what might happen when he couldn't protect them. More than she had ever let him know, she blamed herself for what he was feeling.

"They'll be fine," she reassured him. "They can take care of themselves."

His expression softened, but he still seemed unconvinced.

"Besides," she offered, looking up at him with the little grin that she knew he adored, "I think I know a place that might cheer you up."

He watched her as she made a show of peering off into the trees behind him, and instantly understood. At the thought, the corners of his eyes betrayed the slightest smile, and she reached out to take his hand, leading him wordlessly among the oaks to her favourite place in the world.

* * *

They didn't have to walk for long before they found it, especially with Jane leading. The first time he had brought her back here Kurt had taken an age to find the place, always seeming to get turned around along the way. He still did. But Jane… she was drawn to this place. He was convinced Jane could find her way back here from anywhere.

For a little while they just stood there, looking around at the verdant walls that the oaks and shrubs at the edge of the little glade seemed to form, protecting them from the world outside. In the creek nearby, a trickle of water playing among the rocks could be heard before it ran off cold and clear towards the river downstream. The slightest breeze moved delicately through the tops of the trees, not enough to loosen even a single leaf or twig, and the couple took it all in, just as much in awe of this place as they'd been the day they discovered it. Back then; Kurt's father had helped them build a little wooden fort on the far side of the clearing, complete with ropes and ladders ascending into the trees above. That was long gone now, but the place had the same feeling as it did all those years ago. It made them feel as though they were the only two people in the world. Down near the ground, the frigid autumn air was still and enveloped them with a sensation of complete serenity. The yelling and laughter of the kids could now just be heard back in the direction they'd come from, and that was enough to finally set Kurt at ease. A pure, beaming smile crept its way across his features as Jane met his gaze, and she couldn't help but beam right back. She reached up, placing a tattooed hand behind his neck and slowly pulling his face down to meet hers.

Their lips met softly at first, Jane still wanting to be gentle with him, but Kurt quickly pulled her in closer, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her with a fervour that made her knees buckle slightly. Smiling a little against his lips and throwing her other arm around his neck, she happily returned his enthusiasm. And so they stayed there together under the oaks for a moment that felt like an eternity, an urgent mess of lips and tongues that neither hoped to part from. At length, Jane separated her lips from his for the briefest moment and her green eyes flitted up to meet his.

"Better?" she breathed.

"Better."


End file.
